As part of Berlin Fashion Week, Basso & Brooke put together a retrospective which styled eight season's worth of clothing together in one show. Into the blender they went and out they came, undeniably Basso & Brooke and with such dizzying combinations of print and color and layering that we're pretty sure that whole plaid on plaid thing won't be such a big deal anymore. The 'collection' was absolutely stunning and welcomed after a season of transparencies and monochromatic nude looks. We can't help but think it must have been extra fun (and maybe not as laborious as it appears?) for the designers Christopher Brooke and Bruno Basso to sift through their previous collections and pick out their favorite pieces to re-show. We were happy to see this orange jacket from their Fall 08 show make it into the retrospective (left). If only because it made us like the darn thing ten times more, and debunked our initial impression which was 'Now how could you possibly wear that without the matching orange tights?'. We kid. Obviously this jacket can stand all on its own and so, it seems, can a lot of Basso & Brooke's designs. Take a moment to marvel.

We have always admired women that effortlessly combine prints. We can barely even stomach wearing one print let along pull off the styling miracle that strong print combinations require. But we were impressed by how easy SheFind's Guide to Wearing Multiple Prints was to follow. She has a few fantastic combinations we feel like we could pull off. We particularly liked her advice to choose similar prints in different sizes.

We combined a Dolce and Gabana Polka Dot Mini Skirt, C&C Dotted Jersey Tank, and Sonia by Sonia Rykiel Studded Cardigan. We threw in a Kate Spade 'Marceau - Malva' Soft Hobo that just happens to have a polka dot lining for fun and topped (bottomed?) it off with Marc Jacobs Collection Brushed Patent d'Orsay Pumps. Overall we think it looks pretty darn good. We guess combining prints isn't so hard after all!

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We are major Marni fans here at Coutorture so it stands to reason we love their signature print skirts. Long, short, bubble, a-line, circle or mini; all are equally appealing to us. But the trouble with wearing a busy skirt is keeping the rest of your styling reasonable. One of the classic tricks is to wear the most basic shirt possible and allow your skirt to take center stage. The more downtown version is obviously to go straight with a tee-shirt and to find a nice cheap colorful skirt. The idea had been percolating in our head after seeing a model on a go-see with a basic white tee-shirt and a very bright floral skirt she rescued from Urban Outfitters. And then community partner High Fashion Girl decided that this combination aesthetic was her summer uniform. Apparently this has been on many a hip young fashionistas mind. We have a few low cost busy skirts and inexpensive t-shirts to help set the mood for you.